


Caved In

by ASimpleArchivist



Series: Your Prime, His Spark [2]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: ...needless to say it didn't result well, Ah gee here we go again, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Basically Optimus had to go energon mining, Cave-In, Caves, Concussions, F/M, Hope you enjoy anyway though!, Hurt/Comfort, I feel like this one's rushed, I'm so glad I finally finished this oh my god, Minor Injuries, Primarily inspired by the episode 'Rock Bottom', Reader is dfab, Spelunking gone wrong, We'll see I guess, and I don't know why, and decided to take you along for the ride, and staying up til one a.m., fem!reader - Freeform, i'll shut up now, it took forever and a half, reader is female, sorry - Freeform, the things I do for you guys, uhh, you won't be going on a field trip with him in a while
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-11-20 22:55:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11344800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASimpleArchivist/pseuds/ASimpleArchivist
Summary: Upon requesting that Optimus bring you a geological sample for your science class project, he invites you instead to accompany him on his energon scouting mission.It does not result well.





	1. Caved In

**Author's Note:**

> This was primarily inspired by the episode "Rock Bottom". I ended up really liking that episode for some reason, and I couldn't help but think of what Optimus would've done had he been in that situation. And thus, this was born. Have fun with the angst//hurt/comfort, kids! :) Sorry it took so long to finish, I got stuck for a while. But now I'm good and ready to move on to the next one! :D  
> Also of note: a cycle is an hour, and a solar cycle is a day. I don't really understand Cybertronian time units, so I'm just going to go with this for now. C:'  
> (Also, don't own Robert Frost or his poems. You'll understand why.)

A deep rumble roused you from unconsciousness, waking you just enough to give you a sense of awareness. The unforgiving surface beneath you was cold. And hard. Uncomfortably hard. Now that you thought about it, it was almost painfully hard. That also might have been to do with the fact that you were in pain. A lot of pain. Like, a very concerning amount of pain.

You shifted slowly, whining as your muscles protested even the most minor semblance of stretching. Damn, you were sore. When had your bed gotten this hard? And cold, for that matter?

Your eyes cracked open, and, startled by the significant lack of light, you blinked as you strained to see in the near pitch blackness tinted with the faintest vestige of blue. It was then that you saw two orbs of ancient blue flicker down and focus on you.

 _Optimus_.

Recognition struck you just as he murmured your name for a second time. His voice was soft, but it was noticeably strained. Unusually strained. And it was then that everything flooded back into your head.

* * *

The bell rang in its warbling tone, and not two seconds had passed before the screech of chairs sliding out from underneath desks and the thunk of backpacks hitting the desktops muffled its prolonged freedom cry. You wasted no time in making a break for the door, having already stowed away the necessary text and notebooks for the minute amount of homework that you hadn't finished already.

You barely made it out of the door before the floodgates opened into the hallway, the familiar raucous cacophony suppressing your thoughts as you were soon lost amongst the stampeding herd of teenagers all far too eager to leave the premises. Fortunately, your last classroom was located near the exit, so it didn't take much pushing and shoving before blinding white sunlight stung your retinas and you stepped out onto the front steps of Jasper City High.

The sun's stifling heat hit you full blast and you immediately felt sweat spring into your pores. You glanced over the tops of your fellow fleeing teens and beamed when you recognized the red and blue big rig visibly simmering on the side of the road to allow the other cars room in the parking lot. _Ever the gentlemech._

You trotted down the steps, tugging your backpack higher up on your shoulders as you dodged and weaved through the throngs of people, soon trotting around the parking lot to where the semi was sitting, the rumbling of his idling engine resonating in the heat. The passenger side door popped open and you felt a gush of cool air rush out to meet you.

"Hey, Optimus!" you chirped as you climbed up into his cab, setting your backpack down before settling into the seat and tugging the seat belt over your chest.

"Hello," he greeted, his tone warm as he shut the door behind you. "I trust you had a good day?"

"Yeah, pretty good," you responded, breathing in the cold air emanating from his air-conditioning unit. "Same-old, same-old. What about you?"

"It has been uneventful thus far," he replied. "I am to go on a scouting mission for energon once I return to base."

"Oh, cool!" you said, smiling as you felt his engine rev before easing onto the road. Many of the teens that had seen you climb into Optimus' cab were gawking after you. "Where to?"

"Southern Colorado," he told you. "Ratchet suspects that the geological landforms are suggestive of the potential for energon growth. I can only hope the Decepticons have not mined all that there might be."

You perked up as he turned onto the freeway, bypassing a green light and driving smoothly down the congested road. Many a parent were picking up their children from school, and you had always preferred walking home until you'd met the Autobots and Optimus had resigned himself to the duty of being your guardian. Riding in his cab so far up from the ground made it feel like you were riding in a royal palanquin. A two and a half ton, blue and red Peterbuilt of a palanquin, mind you, but you'd always felt secure and untouchable within Optimus' vehicle mode.

"Hey, if you go into a cave or something, do you think you could bring me back a sample of a stalactite or a stalagmite?" you asked. "It's for a report in Geology, and if you bring in physical specimens you get major extra credit."

Optimus hummed softly, a long moment passing as he evidently fell into thought. Your brows furrowed, before the Prime spoke again.

"You could accompany me in order to choose which samples you would like," he offered, his words slow as he still internally weighed the risks. "Ratchet has detected no Decepticon activity in the area that I'm to be scouting, and if they've already mined there, they would have abandoned it after having extracted any traces of energon. And, given the composites of the rock, structural stability should not be that pressing of an issue, either."

You lit up at the idea, but still considered it carefully. Decepticons could show up at the spur of a moment, as Miko, Jack, Bulkhead, and Arcee's close encounter had proven. But, on the other hand, you really needed the extra credit, and you'd been wanting to spend more time with your guardian anyway. What better opportunity would there be than this?

"I think it'll be okay," you finally said, beaming. "I'll drop my stuff off with the others and we can go."

Optimus hummed, and his engine rumbled from what you'd long ago learned was suggestive of contentment. The both of you lapsed into companionable silence as he drove. The warmth of the sun shining through his windshield and windows in gentle contrast with the coolness of his air conditioning lulled you into a sleepy state, and you relaxed against the inside of his door and gazed out at the desert rushing by. The drive, as usual, didn't take that long - ten minutes at normal speed - and, soon enough, the T-section where the great mesa that the Autobots called their home, standing a proud, vivid red-orange against the bright, clear blue sky, appeared on the horizon.

As was typical, there was no one else in sight, and Optimus entered the base through the access tunnel. You shifted, your hand already on the buckle as Optimus emerged into the main hangar and rolled to a stop. Only then did you unbuckle yourself, grabbing your backpack as Optimus opened his door for you. You hopped out, and he allowed you to get a good few feet away from him before he transformed in a flurry of deep red and blue metal. The Prime glanced down at you, his optics glowing brightly through the shadows cast on his face plate.

"Go put your things away, and we can be on our way," he informed you, and you nodded before trotting towards the secondary platform where Fowler had long ago provided a meager selection of furniture for the kids. You saw Ratchet's hunched shoulders over the edge of his workstation in the little corner of the hangar that he called his medical bay.

"Hey, Ratchet!" you greeted warmly.

The medic jumped sharply, his helm snapping up towards the sound of your voice before he blinked rapidly and glanced around warily. You smothered a laugh, both when you realized that Ratchet had fallen asleep at his console (again), and when you saw Optimus' optical ridges lower as he approached the other mech.

"Ratchet," you heard the Prime say, and you ducked your head down to grab your phone from your backpack. Fortunately, you'd charged it the night before, so in case one of the others needed to contact you, you'd be available. The same applied for the reverse situation, you supposed, though you doubted you would need to with Optimus there. "I thought we discussed this."

You heard the medic heave a heavy ex-vent. "I'm...sorry, Optimus. I didn't realize that I had drifted off."

"That was not my meaning."

Somehow you figured Ratchet wouldn't want you to be hearing this conversation, despite their attempts to keep their voices down. It was hard _not_ to hear them, as their voices were set at such a register that it cut through the air like a hot knife through butter. _Especially_ Optimus'.

"I recharged _two solar cycles_ ago, Optimus-"

"For how long?"

"...five cycles."

" _Ratchet_..."

"Fine, fine! I'll recharge!" Quieter, though not attempting to hide it from the Prime (because, frankly, that probably wouldn't have been possible), Ratchet muttered, "As soon as you return from your mission."

"Have Bumblebee take groundbridge duty when he arrives," Optimus told him firmly. There was no room left for protest in his tone.

Ratchet attempted it anyway. "Bumblebee doesn't-"

"He knows how to operate the groundbridge as well as you do." Optimus paused, and you heard his tone soften. "Please allow yourself to rest, old friend. You shouldn't tarry on for such long intervals without allowing yourself adequate recuperation."

You heard Ratchet suck in a breath, probably to gird himself for another angle of argument, before he released it heavily. "...Fine. All right. Just-" You heard a small clank, probably the medic's finger jabbing into the Prime's chassis. "-don't get yourself into trouble."

"You know as well as I that this mission has very little of a risk factor." Optimus again paused. "That is why I am taking my charge with me."

Whatever complacency Optimus had convinced Ratchet to have flew out the window with the Prime's admission. " _What?!_ "

You glanced up, finally unable to resist any longer, and bit your lip to keep the smirk off your face as you saw Ratchet's optics widen comically.

"She has a school project," Optimus told him simply, and you saw him lightly shrug an enormous shoulder. "It requires geological samples native to cave systems similar to the one I will be scouting."

Ratchet began to mumble under his breath, shaking his helm and turning back towards his screen. You knew that, despite his reluctance to ever admit any such a thing, that he regarded your and the others' educations very highly. He couldn't protest against such an endeavor because of that reason.

"We should be back within the next two hours," Optimus told him.

"Do you have the prototype timer beacon?"

"Yes."

"And you'll implement it?"

"Of course. Let us hope it is functional."

"It should be. Unless Bulkhead touched it."

"Ratchet..."

The medic waved him off with a servo. "Please don't let your charge get crushed. Fowler would be inconsolable."

You mean that _you_ would be inconsolable, you thought disbelievingly. You didn't fall for the prickly exterior Ratchet always put up - you never had. Optimus didn't, either.

"I will ensure our safe and swift return," the Prime assured him, and looked over to you. "Are you ready?"

You nodded, and he stepped over and reached out to you. You crawled carefully into his servo, holding onto his digits for balance as he held you close to his chassis. Moving over to the groundbridge's console, he typed in the coordinates before pulling the lever. The groundbridge blossomed to life behind you, and you blinked rapidly against the conglomeration of vivid greens and blues coalescing into a bright white before opting to just close your eyes. Optimus walked through, and, soon enough, the brush of cool mountain air tickled your face. You opened your eyes and took in the vast sight before you.

It must've once been a grand river valley, the bright red and orange rock unfolding around you, with spindly trees reaching with all their might into the overcast, deep gray sky. It was considerably cooler there than Nevada had been, and you were relieved for it. You breathed in the unfamiliar, earthy scent, as Optimus turned slowly. You found yourself looking into the mouth of a colossal cavern, the swathe of shadows settled within seeming to be their own entity.

"I would advise that you follow closely," Optimus said, lowering you to the ground carefully. When you hopped from his servo to the ground, it kicked up a small dust cloud that made you cough.

"Is it stable?" you asked, making the admirable attempt of following his notably longer strides to the entrance of the cave.

The Prime paused, and procured a scanner from seemingly nowhere. (Had he been carrying it that whole time?) He scanned the walls of the cave, and scrutinized the readings carefully.

"It should be structurally independent," he affirmed, looking down at you. "The mineral composition suggests a very good chance of supporting energon growth."

"Well, let's get this show on the road." You beamed up at him and gestured towards the mouth of the cave. "Shall we?"

Optimus' face plate softened into that same barely-there smile he only seemed to use. "We shall."

You trotted into the heavy shadows cloaking the entrance of the cave, squinting in the dark as your eyes struggled to adjust. A bright white light flashed on, and you looked up to see that one of Optimus' servos had transformed into a flashlight. He held the scanner in his other servo, and nodded at you to keep going. As you walked, he kept the light trained on the ground so you could see. You noticed that there was a slight decline in the cave floor, but not enough that it caused you risk of stumbling. Optimus' footsteps shook the ground beneath your feet, but you'd long gotten used to the feeling. It was a little unnerving, however, as the cave walls seemed to tremble with his every resounding step.

You heard a distant rumble, the sound simultaneously muffled and amplified around you. "What's that?"

"Thunder," Optimus said, casting a brief glance towards where you'd come. The entrance was no longer in sight, and when you, too, turned to look, you realized that you'd descended a lot more than you'd thought. "It must be raining."

"Do we need to worry about it?" you asked, looking up at him. The mech met your gaze and shook his helm once.

"No," he replied, "not now. We will leave before there is any danger of flooding."

You nodded, though now warier than before as you both resumed your pace. Fortunately, the cave soon expanded and finally opened up into a massive cavern, and you felt the breath robbed from you as you took in the conglomeration of glittering blue crystals adorning the walls and ceiling. You heard Optimus ex-vent slowly, lightly, as though a great weight had been rolled from his shoulders.

"An untouched deposit," he said, stepping over to a particularly dense cluster occupying a notch in the wall. "The mineral composition in the rock must've concealed its signature from the _Nemesis_ ' sensors."

You beamed up at him. "That's good, right? You guys have more fuel now!" You glanced around the cavern again, taking in the unbelievable mass of energon. "How long do you think it will last you?"

"A good, long while," Optimus replied, his servo shifting back into its default mode in a flurry of mechanical movements. He broke off a chunk of the crystal and bathed it in the scanner's light. The screen flickered blue and the device chirped. "I should think that we will not need to restock our supply for..." He tilted his helm slightly, glancing about the cavern again. "...perhaps one earth month. Hopefully not less, unless Megatron advances his agenda and things turn dour."

"Let's hope he won't," you responded. You looked towards the other end of the cavern and your eyes lit up. Trotting towards the rock formation, you grinned. "Hey, Optimus!" you called over your shoulder. "Do you think that you could grab me a couple of these stalactites?"

* * *

"Oh my god, _Optimus_ ," you breathed, your heart leaping up into your throat as you forced your aching body to sit up. "What _happened_?"

"I miscalculated the stability of the cave wall that I was cutting into for your sample," he informed you, his tense tone rumbling through the small space around you. "...Obviously, it was not as structurally independent as I'd anticipated."

You looked around, a cold chord of fear coiling low in your belly as you surveyed your cramped surroundings. Optimus seemed to be the only thing holding the entirety of the ceiling up, the pivotal joints of his limbs digging into the stone beneath you. Smaller rocks (that, in actuality, weren't really that small in comparison to you) had crumbled in around him, thus giving a very clear indication of the slim space between you and certain death. There were a few chunks of energon scattered about, and they cast a dim blue glow on the dark rock around them.

Optimus must've picked up on your increasing panic, because you heard his engine rev softly as he spoke.

"I hid a distress beacon at the mouth of the cave to signal the others should I not deactivate it manually in a set amount of time," he told you, his voice soothing despite the sharp contrast of your situation.

That must've been the 'prototype timer beacon' he and Ratchet had been talking about back at the base.

"How long did you set it for?" you asked softly, pulling futilely at your shirt sleeves in a meager attempt to ward off the chill settling into your aching bones.

"One earth hour," he replied.

You paused, nibbling on your lip before rubbing at your throbbing temple. "How long has it been?"

Optimus, too, paused. Perhaps it was hesitation.

"Four," he murmured, his optics flicking away from your gaze.

You froze up, shutting your eyes tightly as you tried to calm yourself. "They...they can find us, right?" you asked tentatively. You hated how your voice quivered. "They'll know where we are when they get here, right?"

Optimus, again, was silent for a moment a little too long for your growing discomfort.

"I am unsure of the amount of rock that is currently...atop us," he finally said. "If it is a small amount, then my signal should be able to go through fairly easily. If it is more, however...they would have to be very close to my position in able for the scanners to detect it." He directed a pointed look towards a larger cluster of energon lying next to his elbow. "The energon will certainly not assist matters."

You nodded slowly. "So, if they're here, but they haven't found us yet, then...I guess we can assume there's a lot of rock on top of us."

"As hesitant as I am to admit it, your observation holds weight." He ex-vented softly, slowly enough that you almost missed it. His vents sounded like they were starting to rattle - probably due to the dust in the air. "We can only persist and hope that they will uncover us soon."

Again, you nodded, and you pulled your knees up to your chest in a meager attempt to get warmer.

"Have I been unconscious this whole time?" you asked softly, trying to ignore the painful throbbing in your temples.

"...Yes." Optimus definitely ex-vented this time, his optics dimming slightly. "I...after the first hour, I began to worry that you had sustained serious injuries with which I would not be able to assist, as I am currently preoccupied...I am quite helpless to do anything."

You blinked in surprise at his admission, having learned to see straight through the Autobot leader's words to hear their true meaning. He'd been scared you wouldn't wake up.

"I'm so sorry, Optimus," you murmured, squeezing your eyes shut and digging your palms into them. "If I hadn't have had this stupid project to work on, we wouldn't be here."

"I would still have been here," he reminded you.

"But you wouldn't be buried beneath an entire cave system!" you shot back, a flash of anger flaring up before dying just as quickly. You sank into yourself at the sight of his widened optics, sighing. "I'm sorry."

"Do not apologize for something that is not your fault," he told you firmly, yet still extremely gentle. Optimus Prime was his own paradox, you mused.

A long moment lengthened itself between the two of you, and you nibbled on your lip before you took in what little you could see of the Autobot crouched over you.

"Are you hurt?" you asked.

"No." He ex-vented. "But there is discomfort."

You came to a slow realization, and you felt immediate awe and concern when you did. "Have you been holding up the rocks all this time?"

"...Yes."

"...You can't move, can you?"

"If I did, I believe it would cause the rest of the debris to cave in around us."

Again, you fell into a fear-stricken silence. Optimus' optics shuttered as he looked down at you, seeming to think heavily.

"I am aware that this is not a situation to be taken lightly," he murmured, "but I am afraid that there is only a limited oxygen supply. I'm know that humans breathe more quickly when distressed, but in order to preserve as much time as possible, I must ask that you try to remain calm."

You laughed sharply, but not out of humor. It was notably shaky, and it worried the Prime more than he would've liked to admit.

"You know, when you think about how you're going to go, suffocation in an energon mine really isn't the first thing that pops into your head," you muttered, cradling your temples in your hands as you stared down at the cave floor beneath you.

"You are not going to-" Optimus cut himself short, which surprised you enough to look back up at him. His mouth was pressed into a thin line. His voice fell quiet, surprisingly subdued, as he looked away. "I...this will not be the end. Rest assured, I will _not_ allow you to not walk away from this mine."

You fell speechless once more, but not from fear. Instead, it was from shock of a different kind.

"Optimus..."

The Prime's helm shifted slightly as though he wanted to shake it, but when a cloud of dust and smaller rocks rained down to the cave floor following the action, it must've reminded him to remain still. You opened your mouth to say something, anything, but your words failed you. And then you felt something cold and wet seep into your jeans.

You looked down sharply, startled, and realized that there was a puddle of water beginning to peek out from underneath the pile of rocks.

"Optimus?" you breathed, fear pitching your voice. "Is that...water?"

You heard the Prime's engine begin to rumble, the rattling in his vents becoming more pronounced. He said your name for a third time, the faintest hint of an edge in his otherwise calm tone - but even that sounded a little forced. "...come here. Come closer to my arms, the ground is higher there."

"Optimus?" you asked uncertainly, doing as he said. "You don't think...it hasn't been raining this whole time, has it?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps not." He was looking intently at where the water had gathered. "...Caves are formed by water erosion. And even if it only rained for a short amount of time, the amount of surface area this cave covers would collect a substantial amount through the topsoil." His mouth twisted downward. "We travelled at a constant decline to get here, and there was no evidence of there being another cavern below us."

"That means we're in the bottom of the cave," you breathed. It was all going to collect where the both of you were. You shifted closer to his arm, your shaking hand falling to rest on the cool plating near his wrist. "...Do you know if the other Autobots are even here?"

Optimus was silent a long while, and it only served to worry you more.

"...This cavern's system is large," he said finally, slowly, "and I do not know the extent of the cave-in. It could have affected this cavern, or...it very well could have collapsed the entirety of the cave to the entrance."

You wondered, somewhere in the back of your mind, if it was just the pain you'd been doing your best to ignore thus far or if it was the realization that there was a very good chance you weren't going to get out of this cave that made your stomach drop and your eyes sting.

"My communications range is also limited due to the mineral composition," he added reluctantly, his tone dropping.

You settled against his forearm, tucking your arms around your knees as you curled into yourself. You gazed at the collecting water for a long moment, thinking that it may have risen even in the little time since you'd moved, before forcing your eyes closed.

"Cybertronians don't need to breathe," you murmured.

Optimus' optics flickered uncertainly over your form before he responded. "No, we do not. But by reasonable calculation, there will remain enough air to last another few cycles-"

"How many."

"...Three. Perhaps four."

You bit your lip sharply, shaking your head. "We've already been down here for _four_ -!"

Optimus said your name urgently, stressed each syllable in a way that you'd never heard before. You stopped, snapping your head up to look into his vividly glowing optics, and that was all it took for you to start shaking. Your eyes grew hot and tingled as tears welled up beyond your control, trickling from the corners with little abandon. You swallowed roughly, trying your best to ignore the dense knot that grew almost instantaneously in the back of your throat, but ultimately failing when you sniffled and swiped almost angrily at your tears, smearing them over your cheeks.

"I - I'm sorry," you whispered hoarsely, forcing yourself to breathe evenly so you didn't give way to the sob bubbling up in your throat. "I'm sorry, I just - I can't..."

The Prime murmured your name again, far more gently and softly, his mouth tugging into an conglomerate expression of emotion you couldn't decipher. "...do not despair. Please do not give up hope. I am certain that the others will find us. We must simply wait."

"With what time?" you choked out. "I'm going to suffocate down here, and...and I just-" You shook your head sharply, squeezing your eyes shut as your throat closed up. You trembled with the wake of your fear, the despair at how things had gone so wrong so quickly. You had hoped that something like this wouldn’t happen, but the universe apparently had other plans for you.

"Look at me."

You did as he said, albeit reluctantly. You probably looked like a mess. You were probably acting stupid or unreasonable. You probably seemed ridiculous or irrational to him. But when you met his gentle gaze, his optics pinpoints of bright comfort in the dark, you felt inexplicably better.

"You will not suffocate, nor succumb to any fate other than returning home," he reaffirmed with certainty. His expression softened and the very corner of his mouth quirked upward slightly. "You do have a report to finish."

You laughed weakly at that, suddenly feeling very foolish as you wiped the vestiges of your tears away. "I...I guess you're right. Of course you're right. I guess I just...I don't know, I'm sorry."

"Do not apologize. It is understandable to be afraid."

"But you're _never_ afraid," you pointed out softly. "I envy you of that."

"There is little to envy," he responded just as quietly. Your brows rose as he glanced away. "I, too, experience fear, just as you do; I have only learned to suppress it. The Matrix also assists in subdoing it, but it still resides within me. I am just as subject to feeling as you are."

And it was then that you were reminded of the fact that he was not just a Prime, not just the leader of the Autobots - he was Optimus, and just as much of a person as you were. The responsibility of having hundreds of thousands of lives at his beck and call, weighing down upon his shoulders with every little decision he made...that obviously had taken a toll on him. A leader is not supposed to succumb to simple fears and emotions others so easily fall to - a leader is supposed to compose himself as the epitome of levelness and calm, something Optimus had long ago succeeded at and still maintained with upmost rigidity to this very day and moment. But, despite how he hid his inner tumult away, he still experienced emotions just like everyone else did - joy, anger, weariness...

...Fear.

Maybe that's why he wore his battle mask so often - just another barrier between his weaknesses and the outside world.

But the fact that Optimus Prime had just admitted to you that he experienced fear, potentially was experiencing it at that very moment, caught you off-guard and made you feel humbled in a way that you had never expected to. The weight his words carried struck you, and struck you terribly deep.

And Optimus trusted you with the weight of them.

A long silence fell over the both of you, filled with nothing but the distant drip of water and creak of metal and stone. You listened to Optimus' engine, the subtle rattling in his cooling fans (you hoped he didn't get as severe a fever as he'd had a mere week or so ago), and you broke the spell with a meager, soft-spoken request.

"Why don't you tell me about Cybertron?"

Optimus blinked, seeming surprised but contented that you were no longer in emotional disarray. "About what would you like to hear?"

You paused, considering the possibilities briefly. "Where did you spend the most time?"

The Prime hummed thoughtfully, the faintest vestiges of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "The Iacon Hall of Records. It equates to a library on your world, but its enormity outsizes any building of such that you may have here on Earth."

"Wait..." You stared up at him in surprise. "Does that mean you were a _librarian_?"

"After I emerged from the Well of Allsparks, I was designated to be an archivist," he affirmed, his optics glowing warmly with past memories. "I worked under the Master Archivist, Alpha Trion. He was as close a mentor as I could have. He is the one who recommended me to the High Council as a candidate to become the next Prime."

"Sounds like a cool guy," you murmured, resting your head against his forearm plating.

"He was...how shall I say..." Optimus hummed again. "...He was a mech of very few words - but what words he spoke always held immense weight. He was the Prime dedicated to the preservation of the Thirteen and Primus' covenant, and he continued that duty into the mass collection and organization of our culture."

"So it's safe to say he spent all day every day buried up to his nose in documents, huh?" you asked amusedly.

Optimus' engine rumbled deep within his chassis, the closest to a chuckle you'd ever heard from him. "He did have a tendency to shut himself in his study," Optimus admitted. "But I worked in the organization division."

You laughed to yourself at the image your brain conjured at his admission. "I can just see you pushing a gigantic cart of books around all day," you grinned. “With how tall you are I’d bet you could reach the top shelves.”

"Though that was not exactly what my duties entailed," Optimus said, optics warm, "your reconstruction is not far from the truth."

"Ooh, did you ever sneak any stories that you wanted to read under your desk?" you pressed, grinning. "I would _so_ do that, if I had my entire planet's collection of books at my disposal."

"I did find myself borrowing a tome on occasion, strictly out of curiosity," the Prime murmured, his optics flaring oddly. "If Alpha Trion ever noticed, he did not comment on it. I always made the effort to return them before someone noticed their absence.”

"What kind of books do you like to read?" you asked curiously.

"I...find myself more drawn to poetry in comparison to other forms of literature."

You stopped, gazed up at him as his optics glowed even brighter, flicking away from your stare. Was he...was he _embarrassed_?

"You know, it honestly suits you," you told him with a bright smile. "Have you read any Earth poetry?"

"Much," he answered honestly, seeming to be relieved that you didn't see fit to tease him. "I am quite partial to Edgar Allan Poe and Robert Frost."

"I've read some of them through Lit at school," you said, "but I never really got that into it."

"I would recommend Frost's 'Stars'," Optimus told you. "I have read a great many of his, but I favor that one...I’m not certain why."

You lowered your gaze, hesitating and nibbling at your lip before you met his curious optics once more. "Do you know it?"

"I do."

"Could you...would you read it to me?"

Optimus smiled faintly. "I would."

You rested your head against his arm again, and he seemed to recall the verses for a long moment before his voice began to rumble with an even, rhythmic cadence.

"'How countlessly they congregate,'" he began, "'o'er our tumultuous snow, which flows in shapes as tall as trees when wintry winds do blow.'"

Your eyes fell shut as you breathed in the chilled, damp air slowly.

"'As if with keenness for our fate, our faltering few steps on to white rest, and a place of rest invisible at dawn.'"

You had always found Optimus' voice to be soothing, and for a reason you would later question with extreme incredulity and disbelief, you found yourself growing suddenly sleepy and warm despite the cold, unforgiving stone beneath you. Unbeknownst to you, Optimus watched as he felt you relax against him, his optics glowing warmly in the dark expanse between you.

"'And yet with neither love nor hate,'" he rumbled, his voice softening, "'those stars like some snow-white Minerva's snow-white marble eyes without the gift of sight...'"

* * *

You were pulled from your unwitting unconsciousness with the simultaneous realization that something cold and wet was creeping up your ankle and that Optimus' voice, urgent and tense, was echoing oddly. You jolted awake, sitting up suddenly as you realized that you'd fallen asleep, and that the water level had risen considerably.

"Optimus-!" You looked up to the Prime, who had seemed to shrink in on himself. His face was set in discomfort, and you heard the creak of metal more pronounced than before.

"The others managed to break through the commlink's interference long enough to get a message through," he told you, and your heart soared with hope. "But they are still not close enough to our position. I do not know if they are going to make it in time." ...right before it was dashed violently.

The rocks suddenly began to crumble in around you, water gushing out from between the gaps and lapping hungrily at your calves as you yelped in alarm. You scrambled to your feet, backing up against his arm as dust and debris rained down upon you from around Optimus' shoulders.

"I believe the water loosened the rocks," the Prime ground out, and you could've sworn that you saw his frame shudder with effort, "and they are now shifting due to the others digging in from the outside."

"Can you tell them to _stop_?" you pressed, your voice pitched as another wave of pebbles cascaded down around you and splashed into the growing pool at your feet.

"The interference is still present," Optimus told you tensely. "I cannot inform them of our predicament."

"Oh my god," you breathed, jumping away as a sizeable boulder shifted and plummeted right next to your feet, splashing a wave of cold water over your legs. You shivered, both with the chill and mounting panic. "Optimus, are you-"

The Prime suddenly grunted, his frame contorting and dropping closer to you and the cave floor as the small space continued to shrink. His denta were bared in pain, his optics dimmed as he tried to regain his bearings.

"The rocks," he grunted, "they're - the weight-!"

You stumbled as the ground shook beneath you, the movement sending you to your hands and knees as the rocks continued to cave in and the water began to rise at a more rapid rate.

"Optimus," you whimpered, cowering as close to your guardian as you could. "Optimus, I'm scared-!"

"Stay close to me," he ordered, focusing his gaze on you. "Stay beneath me! I cannot - _I will not lose-_ "

The water gushed in around you, enveloping your waist, right before a sharp sting of pain shot through your head.

* * *

"That's it, follow the light..."

An overwhelmingly bright light pierced your vision, your retinas stinging sharply as you blinked rapidly and squinted, reaching out to push the offending object away. Pain flared and thrummed in your head, and you whined softly as you felt a digit much, _much_ larger than your own poke at your stomach firmly.

"Ehp, yhep, yhep!" Ratchet's voice bounced back and forth within your skull, and while you'd always liked listening to him talk, you really wished he wasn't at that moment. "Quit that!"

"I will if you will," you croaked, smacking at his cold metal servo until he drew it and the flashlight away with an exasperated ex-vent. It was only then that you remembered the circumstances of your unconsciousness.

" _Oh my god_ , _Ratchet_ ," you exclaimed, sitting up sharply (and just as quickly regretting it), "is Optimus okay?!"

"Fine, fine," the medic responded off-handedly, flapping a servo in your general direction as he returned the device to his medical kit. "He only suffered minor plating fracture. Simple to fix." He cast you a serious look, his optical ridges drawn low over his optics as his mouth set in a firm line. "You, however, sustained _far_ more damage than he did."

You blinked, grimacing as you clutched your throbbing temple. It felt like you had a mariachi band playing full throttle and using the inside of your skull as a stadium. "I don't doubt it."

Ratchet scoffed, rolling his optics. The simple flash of light was enough to send a wave of vertigo over you. Scratch that, you had a _drunk_ mariachi band in your head, and by God and Primus combined, were they playing _loud_.

"You're suffering the aftereffects of a concussion, for starters," he began, turning towards the computer terminal and bringing up what looked to be a diagram of your head, "combined with minor contusions and hemorrhaging scattered over your body. Your skull was - fortunately - not cracked, but it was dangerously close."

"It sure as hell feels like it," you grumbled.

"Also, you'll be experiencing vertigo and nausea due to extended raw energon exposure."

"Yeah, I feel that, too."

The medic fell silent for a moment, his back still turned to you as he stilled. Your brows furrowed as your mouth twisted in concern. "...Ratchet?"

"You...you gave us - quite the scare," he said, his words stunted and awkward. Your heart melted nonetheless. "Optimus would not leave your side throughout my examination of you."

"...Is he okay?" you asked again, though your different meaning was clear to the both of you in your intonation.

"He...will be, now that you're awake," Ratchet responded. He turned to look at you, his expression having softened with subtle, suppressed concern. "I managed to get him to go recharge after I assured him you were stable." He paused. "Are you all right?"

"As all right as I can be, I guess," you shrugged slowly, trying to avoid jostling your head. Or stomach. Or your entire body. "You don't happen to have any painkillers, do you?"

"Not any that wouldn't kill you within seconds."

"Damn. You Cybertronians got the good stuff."

Ratchet scoffed again, shaking his helm, but you didn't miss the slight upward curve at the corner of his mouth.

"I'll see if June can bring a human equivalent from the hospital," Ratchet told you, and it was then that you realized the entire hangar was empty, save for the two of you. "But," he continued, as if reading your mind, "It's late. You should rest."

You nodded once in response, but glanced uncertainly down at the unforgiving metal slab beneath you.

"Hey, uh, Ratchet?"

"Yes?"

"Do you..." You hesitated, worrying your bottom lip before pressing onward. "Do you think I could sleep in Optimus' quarters?"

Ratchet gazed at you for a moment too long, and you rushed to fill the silence.

"I promise not to wake him up,” you told him hurriedly, "and I'll stay away from him if you want me to! I just feel like I need to be with..."

Ratchet cut off your onslaught of words with a brief wave of a servo - a placating gesture. His expression had shifted into a gentle, nearly affectionate one. You were stunned at the warmth glowing in his optics. "You don't need to explain yourself," he assured you, and held out a flat, opened servo next to you. The faintest of smiles found the corners of his mouth. "I understand."

You breathed out in relief, climbing carefully into his palm as he slowly drew you closer to his chasses. You held on to his digits for support, sitting comfortably, and neither of you spoke through the short expanse of time it took for Ratchet to walk to the Prime's quarters. He entered quietly, and he approached the berth with as much care as a mother would her recently lulled infant. Optimus was out like a light, as silent and still as death. That was something you'd grown to realize was a trait that he possessed - the Prime was a deep, heavy sleeper like no other.

Ratchet carefully deposited you on the berth cushion near the Prime's shoulder, and only nodded when you mouthed the words 'thank you'. He disappeared out of the room without a sound.

You turned to your sleeping guardian, carefully creeping up to the junction of his helm and shoulder and snuggling near the warmer metal. Unfortunately, the red mech began to stir. You winced when his optics flickered to life, dim and bleary at best as they searched for the interruption of his recharge. They found you quickly, and you heard his engine sputter slightly as he croaked your name.

"I'm okay," you whispered, your hand finding his chin guard and patting it gently. "I'm here. Go back to sleep."

And though you figured that the Prime would have resisted, would have made an effort to ensure your wellbeing, he ex-vented slowly (evidence of his relief), as he scooped you carefully up with a servo and drew you next to his helm, his faceplate turning to meet you. Though perhaps a little uncertain, you settled onto the berth cushion and snuggled into his cheek, resting your forehead against the sharp arch beneath his optic. Optimus hummed softly, his servo still curled around your back to hold you close, and his optics dimmed slowly.

The sounds of his sparkchamber thrumming and his vents whirring just beneath it, combined with his dimmed but attentive optics never leaving you, lulled you into a deep, restful sleep.

You'd deal with your headache the next day.


	2. R&R

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Presented to you by popular demand, I now grant you lovelies with a second chapter to this supposed oneshot. C; It's not as long as the last one, but I didn't feel like I should just tack on the end of the first chapter. Hope you enjoy the resolve of what happened (or at least some of it ;>). I hope it's to your satisfaction, guys!

_"Optimus - Optimus, I'm scared-!"_

_"Stay close to me. Stay beneath me! I cannot - I will not lose you!"_

_Optimus watched, his spark rising up into his vocal synthesizer, as you crumpled face-first into the rising water, quickly submerged by the murky depths. He called your name, his voice strained as the rocks shifted and dug into his spinal strut. He gritted his denta, girding himself, before shifting his weight and quickly scooping you out of the water. His shoulders collided with the cave floor, his helm battered by falling stones as he cradled your still, wet form against his chassis. He squeezed his optics shut, bracing himself as the rubble continued to cave in around him. The water was lapping at his shoulders, cold and seeping into the gaps in the plating._

Primus _, he prayed,_ don't let it end like this _._

 _The cave seemed to roar around him, the continuous clatter and smash of stone on stone flooding his audials. He grunted as the rock pressed in on top of him, making his outer plating groan at the strain. Under the noise, Optimus barely heard his comm-link flare to life with static, but he_ did _hear the patches of voices through the din. His spark swelled within its chamber, his optics lighting up as water began to brush against his chin._

_"Here," he ground out, trying to raise his voice above the noise, "in here!"_

_The chatter grew clearer, the rocks around him continuing to shift, but with elation he realized that the weight actively crushing him was lessening. He caught a glimpse of light through the boulders as Bulkhead's voice filtered through. "...worry, boss! We've got you!"_

_"Hurry!" Optimus urged. "The water is rising!"_

_Another wave of dust and gravel rained down past his helm, and suddenly one of the boulders digging into his shoulder shifted and was pulled away. This, however, is where falsehood began to divert from reality._

_The instability of the rock ceiling far above was disturbed by the Autobots' excavation attempt, and Optimus felt his entire frame go cold when he heard them shout in alarm right before an agonizing weight slammed into him. He cried out in pain, feeling the rocks continue to fall, each on top of the other, collecting upon him and pressing him further into the cave floor and the water rising there and you -_ Primus _, you were_ stuck beneath _him, he was_ crushing _you, you were shattering in his_ very own servos _and he couldn't do anything he couldn't_ do _anything he_ couldn't _-_

"Optimus!"

The Prime startled awake, his optics flaring blindingly bright and his cooling fans kicking on so harshly it caused him to grunt. When his visual feed cleared, adjusting both to the suddenness of its activation and the darkness around him, he blinked slowly and saw you hovering over him. Your face was creased with concern. (It never failed to elicit guilt from him - it was concern that he usually invoked in you.)

"Optimus," you murmured, your hoarse voice evidence of your just being woken. "You were shaking. You kept...I guess you were talking in Cybertronian. Are you okay?"

He sucked in a fresh gush of ventilation, allowing the cool air to circulate within his frame before he released it in a heavy ex-vent. When he raised a servo to cradle you in his palm, he realized both were trembling. He set it back down on the berth gingerly, hoping you hadn't noticed.

"Did you..." You hesitated, nibbled on your bruised lip. "Were you having a nightmare?"

Optimus took another moment to further compose himself, deciding that perhaps he shouldn't burden you with his troubles. "To an extent," he said carefully. "It is little to concern yourself with."

"It obviously bothered you," you pointed out softly.

Optimus did not reply, opting to glance at his inward chronometer. He smothered a grimace at the notably early hour, aware of how delicate a human's sleep schedule could be. "I apologize," he murmured. "I did not intend to disturb your recharge cycle."

"It's okay," you assured him. You shifted, settling against his cheek guard and stroking the accent paneling tucked into the crevice between it and his facial plating. "...Do you want to talk about it?"

"It is little to concern yourself with," he repeated.

You hummed, and he closed his optics. Your hand stalled, and you rested your head against the edge of his cheek guard. "What happened after I was out?"

You possessed some sort of telepathy, it seemed. But it was of little wonder that you were curious about such recent and terrifying events.

"The others managed to uncover us in time," he recalled, shunning the false ending of his nightmare away in lieu of what had actually occurred. "Ratchet called in Miss Darby to help him assess your health."

You nodded, your hand returning to its slow stroking. He relaxed, the simple, soothing motion distracting him away from the fresh memory of crawling out of the rocks, cradling your frighteningly cold and still form in his trembling servos. You were here. You were _safe_.

"How is your head?" he inquired.

"Still hurts a little," you admitted, "but it's not unbearable."

He hummed quietly, knowing very well that you were altering the truth, however slightly. You were probably in much more pain than you were letting on.

Optimus shifted, adjusting his sore limbs and being careful not to crush. Some of his outer plating still ached, having been dented or caved in due to the weight of the cave sitting on top of him. You both were in some sort of pain, he supposed.

You sighed softly, guilty disappointment making your shoulders droop. "I guess I didn't get my sample. I was counting on those extra points." You paused, then flushed in shame. "I'm sorry, that sounded selfish."

Optimus blinked at you, the faintest suggestion of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He reached gingerly into his subspace, only having to search briefly before he drew out two small (compared to his servos, at least) stalactites. He watched your eyes light up as both surprise and awe filled them. You took them gently, rubbing your fingers along the surface.

"How?" you breathed. "I thought that you messing with the walls made the ceiling cave in."

"I managed to store these away before then," he told you. "Are they to your satisfaction?"

"Definitely!" You beamed excitedly, meeting his gaze. Guilt and sincere gratitude flashed across your face. "Thank you. I know I caused you a lot of grief with all this, and I'm sorry."

"Do not apologize," he said gently. "I am just happy that you are not hurt."

His words seemed to take you off guard, which puzzled him. Your eyes widened, mouth dropping open slightly, and even in the dark he saw your skin darken as you floundered for words.

Hmm. How curious.

Finally, you managed, "I'm glad you're okay, too."

He nodded, and you crawled to the edge of the berth to lay the stalactites down on the table next to it. He frowned slightly, checking his chronometer again.

"You should sleep longer," Optimus told you as you crawled back to his helm. "It is far too early to remain awake." He turned his face towards you, and your hands stroked the smooth metal of his chin tenderly. He felt his engine rumble in response, and hoped you hadn't heard.

"You should, too," you replied, already tucking yourself back against him. There was a pause, then you whispered softly, "Please. I don't want to be alone."

Being in such close proximity to his audial, he heard it even with your quiet tone. Optimus hadn't intended on moving, but now he rejected the very idea completely at the vulnerability in your voice.

"Of course," he murmured. "Rest. I will not leave you."

You whispered your thanks, fading fast now that things had settled back down. No more than four minutes passed until he registered that your vitals indicated you were finally asleep.

 _I will not leave you._ Optimus closed his optics, ex-venting slowly as recharge slowly crept upon him. _Never._

**Author's Note:**

> This is now a series! Check out the previous installment down below, and expect more to come! :D


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